| Component | Max | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 100 | 34 | 46 | 57 | 70 |
| Component | Max | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 100 | 34 | 45 | 58 | 69 |
Paper 1A
Over 90% of schools found the difficulty appropriate and nearly all items could be done without a calculator; blanks rose slightly at the end. Resonance curves, wave graphs and fields caused most errors.
Found difficult
- air resistance
- wave graphs
- resonance
- orbital motion
- electric fields
- magnetic force on a moving charge
- photoelectric effect
- spacetime diagrams
Well prepared
- gas laws
- thermal conduction
- first law of thermodynamics
- diffraction grating
| Q | Topic | How it went | Where marks were lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| HL3 / SL3 | acceleration of a ball with air resistance | Most struggled | Nothing specific reported.Tip: Draw the free-body diagram at each point; drag adds to weight on the way up. |
| HL5 / SL6 | work by a force on a ramp | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL13 / SL10 | gas volume from a graph gradient | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL14 / SL11 | internal energy of equal masses of two gases | Mixed | gave the reciprocal ratioTip: Equal masses of a lighter gas contain more atoms, hence more internal energy. |
| HL16 / SL12 | power dissipated by resistor networks | Mixed | chose the largest resistanceTip: At fixed p.d., the smallest resistance dissipates most power. |
| HL18 / SL13 | particle velocity from a displacement-position graph | Most struggled | read the x-axis as timeTip: Check whether the horizontal axis is position or time. |
| HL19 / SL14 | wavelength for destructive interference | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL21 / SL15 | standing wave in an open pipe | Mixed | Nothing specific reported.Tip: Sketch the node-antinode pattern to find the wavelength. |
| HL22 / SL16 | resonance curve and natural frequency | Most struggled | placed peak at the natural frequencyTip: With damping the peak sits slightly below the natural frequency. |
| HL24 / SL18 | gravitational field and orbital acceleration | Most struggled | assumed a circular orbit wrongly |
| HL29 / SL20 | velocity selector for proton and alpha | Most struggled | thought speed depends on charge or massTip: In crossed fields the undeflected speed is E/B for any particle. |
| HL32 / SL21 | nuclear composition | Mixed | thought the nucleus holds only positive charges |
| HL38 / SL24 | nuclear equation balance | Mixed | overlooked the incoming neutronTip: Count every particle on both sides, including incoming neutrons. |
| HL 6 | calculation using g | Answered well | Nothing specific reported.Tip: Use g = 10 m s^-2 in Paper 1A; pick the closest option. |
| HL 9 | spacetime interval hyperbolae | Mixed | reversed the pair of events |
| HL 10 | thermal conduction formula | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 15 | first law of thermodynamics | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 20 | maxima from a diffraction grating | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 26 | field midway between opposite charges | Most struggled | assumed the field is zeroTip: Fields from opposite charges add between them. |
| HL 27 | potential change in a uniform field | Most struggled | used total displacement; wrong sign of potential changeTip: Use only displacement along the field; potential rises against the field. |
| HL 30 | net magnetic force on a ring | Most struggled | Nothing specific reported.Tip: Use symmetry: inward forces around a ring cancel. |
| HL 33 | ratio of hydrogen energy differences | Mixed | used ratio of energies, not of differences |
| HL 34 | photoelectric effect versus wave model | Most struggled | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 35 | Compton energy difference in wavelengths | Most struggled | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 36 | kinetic energy and de Broglie wavelength | Mixed | errors in the kinetic energy part |
| HL 37 | count rate with background | Mixed | did not add back background |
| SL 5 | elastic potential energy | Answered well | omitted the factor one half |
| SL 23 | simplified version of an HL item | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
What to practise
- Practise combined Paper 1A and 1B papers under one time limit.
- Use the calculator only where it helps; most items yield to reasoning.
- Use units, sketches and extreme values to eliminate options.
- Know the scope of data booklet equations.
Paper 1B
Judged fair with no time pressure; best-fit work was strong, while combining uncertainties and components of g on a slope left many blanks.
Found difficult
- uncertainty propagation
- vector components
- significant figures
Well prepared
- best-fit lines
| Q | Topic | How it went | Where marks were lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1ai | reading measurements | Answered well | missed a minus sign; decimal place errors |
| 1aii | uncertainty of a difference of two readings | Mixed | used one reading's uncertainty onlyTip: When two readings are combined, add their absolute uncertainties. |
| 1b | improving a diameter measurement | Answered well | suggested equipment not available |
| 1ci | fractional uncertainty of density | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| 1cii | absolute uncertainty to matching precision | Mixed | uncertainty precision not matched to value |
| 2a | period from frequency | Mixed | ignored that three periods were shown |
| 2b | acceleration from a trace | Mixed | used SHM equations inappropriately |
| 2ci | component of g down a slope | Most struggled | confused the component with g itself |
| 2cii | consistency with earlier results | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
| 3ai | curve through error bars and extrapolation | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| 3aii | intercept reading | Mixed | careless axis readingsTip: Read graph values carefully; examiners check them. |
| 3b | suggestion and supporting reasoning | Mixed | straight line drawn through curved data |
| 3c | time to stop as three half-lives | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
What to practise
- Show working for error carried forward.
- Take readings from graphs carefully.
- Draw best-fit lines as smooth curves or straight lines through all error bars.
- Support simple-looking answers with evidence.
Paper 2
Time was managed well. Top scripts were excellent, but many lacked reasoned arguments, clear presentation and precise language; internal resistance and fusion mechanisms were notably weak.
Found difficult
- internal resistance
- simple harmonic motion
- magnetic field of a current
- electromagnetic induction
- gravitational potential
- convection
- stellar fusion
- Doppler effect
Well prepared
- elastic potential energy
- magnetic force on a current
- radioactive decay
- photon energy
- gas laws
| Q | Topic | How it went | Where marks were lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| HL 1ai / SL 1ai | mass of an oil droplet | Answered well | used water density for oil |
| HL 1aii / SL 1aii | acceleration of a rising droplet | Mixed | forgot weight; left out buoyancyTip: List every force on the droplet before finding the net force. |
| HL 1b / SL 1b | drag on a rising droplet over time | Mixed | vague link between terminal speed and drag; thought buoyancy changes |
| HL 1ci / SL 1ci | terminal velocity of a rising droplet | Most struggled | treated droplet as fallingTip: Apply terminal velocity ideas to the actual direction of motion. |
| HL 1cii / SL 1cii | terminal velocity calculation | Mixed | forces in wrong directions |
| HL 2a / SL 2a | effect of load resistance on terminal p.d. | Most struggled | assumed current stays constant; ignored internal resistanceTip: Changing load changes current, which changes lost volts in the cell. |
| HL 2b / SL 2b | gradient | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 2c / SL 2c | emf from intercept | Answered well | calculated instead of extrapolating |
| HL 2di | entropy change | Answered well | gave Q instead of S |
| HL 2dii | disorder from water to steam | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 3a | derivation of SHM energy | Mixed | incomplete derivation |
| HL 3b | elastic energy calculation | Answered well | did not square x0 |
| HL 3c | ratio in SHM | Answered well | inverted the ratio |
| SL 3ai | energy in a mass-spring system | Mixed | vague names of energy formsTip: Name each energy form fully and say where it is stored. |
| SL 3aii | energy changes in horizontal oscillator | Mixed | included gravitational energy for horizontal motion |
| SL 3b | SHM algebra | Mixed | lost in algebra |
| SL 3c | property of the spring | Most struggled | discussed acceleration instead |
| HL 4ai / SL 4ai | magnetic force on a wire | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 4aii | direction of magnetic force | Most struggled | random directions given |
| SL 4aii | current direction | Mixed | said current flows up the page |
| HL 4aiii / SL 4aiii | combined field around a wire | Most struggled | did not say which side is stronger; confused electric and magnetic fields |
| HL 4aiv | induction explanation | Most struggled | vague statements |
| HL 4b | force between wires | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
| SL 4bi | parallel wires repel | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| SL 4bii | force per length between wires | Answered well | multiplied by wire length unnecessarily |
| HL 5a | field from potential graph | Most struggled | used g = V/RTip: Field strength is the gradient of the potential graph. |
| HL 5bi | reading a potential graph | Mixed | imprecise readings |
| HL 5bii | energy from potentials | Mixed | imprecise readings |
| HL 6ai | nuclear item | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 6aii | evidence for nuclear size | Answered well | described gold foil set-up instead |
| HL 6bi | discontinued | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 6bii | nuclear item | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 6ci | decay constant | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 6cii | potassium-40 dating | Mixed | ignored isotope percentage |
| HL 6ciii | fraction remaining | Mixed | used 0.02 instead of 0.98 |
| HL 7ai / SL 5ai | stellar equilibrium | Mixed | omitted force directions and balance |
| HL 7aii / SL 5aii | conditions for fusion | Most struggled | discussed collision frequency; confused with fission; misused the strong forceTip: Explain that high kinetic energy overcomes proton repulsion so the strong force can act. |
| HL 7aiii / SL 5aiii | convection in stars | Mixed | convection between star and atmosphere |
| HL 7bi / SL 5bi | stellar distance | Answered well | not in metres |
| HL 7bii / SL 5bii | luminosity relative to the Sun | Mixed | cubed radius; found L not ratio |
| HL 7biii / SL 5biii | apparent brightness | Mixed | forgot to square distance |
| HL 7ci / SL 5ci | photon wavelength | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 7cii / SL 5cii | photon energy | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 7ciii / SL 5ciii | explaining a spectral shift | Most struggled | called it measurement error; invoked relativityTip: Explain Doppler shift with wavefront spacing. |
| HL 7civ / SL 5civ | star speed from shift | Most struggled | used sound Doppler formula; answer not in km/s |
| HL 7d / SL 5d | identifying elements in a star | Mixed | referred to emission not absorption spectrum |
| HL 8ai | gas calculation | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 8aii | forces on a slope | Most struggled | wrong trig factor |
| HL 8aiii | assumption | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 8aiv | adiabatic change | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 8bi | forces | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 8bii | forces on an incline | Mixed | used cos instead of sin; omitted a force |
| HL 8biii | free-body diagram on a slope | Mixed | inaccurate angles between forces |
| HL 8ci | centre of mass motion | Most struggled | trial and error instead of theory |
| HL 8cii | origin of torque | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 8d | SHM equations | Most struggled | used sin instead of cos; degrees instead of radiansTip: Set your calculator to radians for SHM equations. |
What to practise
- Match the number of points to the marks available.
- Substitute numbers fully; copying the equation alone earns nothing.
- Do not rewrite the prompt; add new information.
- Check that answers are physically sensible.
Internal assessment
What moderators raised about the scientific investigation this session, criterion by criterion.
- Research design. background not focused on why the variable should matter or how to detect the effect
- Research design. restating textbook relationships without framing as confirmation or precision measurement
- Data analysis. absurd significant figures, linear confused with proportional, forced linear fits
- Data analysis. uncertainty set to zero for unvarying readings instead of least count
- Conclusion. restating numbers or procedure instead of what the result means physically
- Conclusion. no comparison with an accepted value or plausible range
- Evaluation. generic error lists and improvements not linked to the method
- Evaluation. AI-written or padded sections (summaries, contents, long bibliographies) without proper attribution
About this summary
After every session the IB sends schools a subject report: how candidates did on each paper and question, and what teachers should work on. This page is my reading of the Physics report for November 2025 TZ1, in my own words. No text from the report or from the exam questions is reproduced, and it is not endorsed by the International Baccalaureate.
Session codes: TZ is the time zone variant of the papers. Other variants of the same session:
Frequently asked questions
Which questions were hardest in Physics November 2025 TZ1?
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The questions most candidates struggled with were on acceleration of a ball with air resistance, particle velocity from a displacement-position graph, resonance curve and natural frequency and gravitational field and orbital acceleration. The tables above list every question discussed in the report, paper by paper.
What did candidates find difficult in November 2025 TZ1?
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Across the papers the examiners listed air resistance, wave graphs, resonance, orbital motion, electric fields, magnetic force on a moving charge, photoelectric effect and spacetime diagrams, among others.
What were the grade boundaries for Physics November 2025 TZ1?
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Physics HL: a 7 from 70 out of 100 overall in November 2025 TZ1. Physics SL: a 7 from 69 out of 100 overall in November 2025 TZ1. The component boundaries are in the table on this page.
Is this the official IB subject report?
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No. It is my summary of the report the IB issues to schools after each session, rewritten in my own words with a teacher's reading of it. No text from the report or from exam questions is reproduced. Your school's IB coordinator can access the original.